Mizoram football club is a giant-killer

It was a true David versus Goliath contest. On one side was Mohun Bagan, the famous West Bengal Football Club (FC) with many tournament wins to its name. Playing against it was Aizawl FC, the football club from the capital of Mizoram. The stage: a key match in the I-League, India’s main football league played between clubs, played last Sunday. Aizawl FC played an extraordinary match on its home ground to defeat mighty Bagan 1-0.

It was no mean feat. Aizawl qualified for the I-League tournament only when some other clubs pulled out. While Mohun Bagan has many players with match-winning experience, including international players, Aizawl is a far more modest team. In fact the money Aizawl FC spends to run the club in one year equals what Bagan spends on just one international player.

With this win, Aizawl needs to just draw its match against Shillong Lajong, this weekend to top the I-League table and emerge champions. Aizawl FC’s unbelievable performance shows how important Mizoram is in the football map of the country-58 footballers from Mizoram play for the 10 I-League clubs today. Go Mizoram!